Confirmed: Pixel 2 Phones To Get 3 Years Of Android Updates

Google confirmed the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will receive three years of Android software updates and monthly security patches. While the same pledge was already mentioned on the Google Store listing of the company's latest pair of high-end smartphones earlier this month, it has now been reiterated by the Alphabet-owned tech giant on its recently launched support pages for the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The relevant portion of the website can be seen below and guarantees the new devices will be supported until at least October 2020. While Google also vowed to provide the 2016 Pixel and Pixel XL with three years' worth of updates, that pledge only pertained to monthly security patches and not major operating system upgrades. The company is also guaranteeing to offer three years of online or telephone support for the Pixel 2 series, thus matching the vow that accompanied the original Pixel flagships.

While it's still possible that the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL receive security patches and major OS updates after October 2020, that isn't a likely scenario and phone vendors generally never refer to their end-of-life product plans as such, instead opting to say they aren't "guaranteeing" any form of support after a certain date, month, or year, like Google did here. Still, the company's pledge confirms that the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will receive Android P next year, Android Q in 2019, and Android R in 2020, at least provided that Google sticks to its established OS release pattern and continues debuting first developer previews of major updates in spring before rolling out stable OS builds in late summer or early fall.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL officially released on Verizon today and are now available for purchase from the largest mobile service provider in the United States. Google is also shipping the smaller Pixel 2 to consumers who pre-ordered the device, whereas the larger one may not start reaching users who bought it on the Google Store until later this month, with its official listing presently stating the 64GB model will start shipping on October 29th, whereas the 128GB one is to begin arriving from October 22nd. The original Pixel series sold approximately two million units and it remains to be seen whether the new Android flagships become more commercially successful than their predecessors.

Dominik started at AndroidHeadlines in 2016 and is the Head Editor of the site today. He’s approaching his first full decade in the media industry, with his background being primarily in technology, gaming, and entertainment. These days, his focus is more on the political side of the tech game, as well as data privacy issues, with him looking at both of those through the prism of Android. Contact him at [email protected]